Radiant Heating Running Costs

Many people assume that running a whole-house electrical heating system will be costlier than their gas/oil furnace, simply because gas is currently cheaper than electricity.  This, however, is just not the case...

Annual cost of using a Warmup® Underfloor Heating System as sole-source heating in different rooms in your home

With proper insulation and use of zoning, a house fitted with Warmup® Underfloor Heating is surprisingly  affordable to run.

*Assumptions: 9 cents/kWh - system on 6 months (183 days) per winter.  System installed on 3/8" Warmup® Insulation Board.  **Average running cost after initial heat-up period.

How much will it cost to heat my room?

Running costs will always depend on the room size and the running time, as well as how well the room is insulated.  To get an accurate idea of typical running costs, see the table and notes below:

 

Daily cost (in cents) of running a
Warmup® Heating System as sole-source heating:


Heated area in square feet

Hours	3	10	15	25	50	100
1	0.2¢	0.7¢	1.1¢	1.9¢	3.9¢	7.9¢
2	0.4¢	1.4¢	2.1¢	3.5¢	7.1¢	14.2¢
3	0.6¢	2.0¢	3.0¢	5.1¢	10.2¢	20.4¢
4	0.8¢	2.6¢	4.0¢	6.7¢	13.4¢	26.8¢
5	0.9¢	3.3¢	4.9¢	8.2¢	16.4¢	32.9¢
6	1.1.¢	3.9¢	5.9¢	9.8¢	19.7¢	39.4¢
7	1.3¢	4.5¢	6.8¢	11.3¢	22.7¢	45.5¢
8	1.5¢	5.2¢	7.8¢	13.0¢	26.0¢	52.0¢

 

Save money by insulating properly and reducing heat-up times:

During the heat-up period, as the floor reaches its set temperature, the heater is running at full power.  After this period, the heater needs to run at only half-power to maintain the set temperature.  Simply put, the faster the floor heats-up, the cheaper the system is to run.

By properly insulating your floor with Warmup® Insulation Board, you can reduce the heat-up period significantly (see graph here) thereby reducing running costs by as much as 50%.

 

Accuracy of running costs:

Warmup tested its heaters, running under normal operating conditions, in a special room built to international EN442-2 specifications.  The data collected from this extensive testing allows us to state with certainty, exactly what our operating costs are.
Please note that these tests were performed using Warmup® heaters and that this data is accurate for Warmup® heaters only.

Assumptions and variables:
To calculate accurate running costs, we have made the following reasonable assumptions:
1. Installation is in a house built to current building regulations
2. Heaters used: 150W/sq ft mats, under 3/8" ceramic tile on 3/8" Warmup® Insulation Board
3. The temperature difference between "on" and "standby" is 9°C (eg. 59°F when on "standby", 68°F when "on")
4. The floor coverage is consistent to property size (eg. 5 sq ft of heating for a 5 sq ft room)
5. The heat-up time is included within the hours ON
6. The heating is controlled by Warmup® USTAT-AF Thermostat
7. Price per kWh is 9 cents (average Canadian National Energy Board electricity price at time of printing)

Soaring fuel prices make electric heating cheaper than gas According to the National Energy Board, since 2003, gas prices have risen considerably, while electricity prices have only increased by 14% in the same period. Unlike gas, electricity is 100%  efficient at the point of use, hence gas users will soon be paying much more and receiving much less.

 Fuel Costs vs Ownership Costs

The typical lifespan of a gas boiler system is 10 years, according to industry estimates.  Our underfloor heaters have no moving parts to wear-out and come with a 30-Year Warranty*.  When maintenance costs are added to the equation, the annual running costs of a radiant floor system look remarkably attractive.

*Sources and Assumptions: 1. Fuel costs (heating and hot water) based on Canadian National Energy Board figures.  2. Oil and Gas contracted service prices and maintenance costs from ABMA.  3. Cost of 6 radiators with Gas Boiler versus Cost of Installing Warmup® Underfloor Heating for 60 sq ft  4. Lifetimes used are industry averages - 10 years for gas furnace / 15 years for underfloor heating. Note: Warmup® systems are tested for 60 years using accelerated testing procedures

 
Better Control of Fuel Costs - Zoning Your House

Adding a zone to a house that uses electric heating is as simple as adding a thermostat.  Gas systems tend to run all the rooms of your house at once, whether you are using them or not.  Electric systems, however, can be set to heat an individual room where and when you need it (a bathroom for an hour and a half in the morning for example).  By tailoring your system usage according to your lifestyle, you can enjoy substantial savings.

Running Cost Calculator Curious to know what it will cost to run a Warmup system in your house? Complete the form and we'll let you know.